In 15 weeks and a couple of days' time (assuming I am counting correctly), I will run the London Marathon.

This was not part of the plan.

Broadly speaking this is all Charlie Brooker's fault. At some point, probably around 2011, I came across an article of his in which he discussed the Couch 2 5k app that could get you running and thought it sound interesting and potentially useful if I wanted to get a bit fitter. When I finally acquired a Smartphone, I installed the app and off I went.

By the time I finished the 9 week course in the app, I could run just under 5k in half an hour and I continued to potter about doing this a couple of times a week while listening to the Zombies! Run! app/game/story/whatever it is. Then I discovered ParkRun which had, if not prizes, at least points and I began to actively try to improve my running speed. Then someone at ParkRun suggested the Great Manchester 10k, so I amused myself working towards that and ran it for the next three years.

In the meantime I had made some friends among the Park Runners and when the 10k spun off a half marathon last year, I was persuaded by A. that I should run this, if only as moral support for her attempt.

Did you know, once you run a half marathon, everyone starts asking you when you are going to run a marathon?

Now B., who has occasionally in his career hung out with Sports Scientists had convinced me many years ago that marathons were a terrible, terrible thing (anatomically speaking at least). However, he mysteriously morphed into the kind of person who muttered about bucket lists and "you have to run at least one." My solution to this situation was the London Marathon ballot - with a success rate of, depending who you ask, between 1 in 6 and 1 in 10, I felt I was pretty safe entering the ballot for a few years while I considered whether I really wanted to do this.

You can guess what happened next.

So, lack of injury permitting, I will be running the London Marathon on the 22nd April.

I wish I could say training had started well with the new year. However my scheduled run on Monday was abandoned when I totted up the list of things I needed to do before going to Florida on Tuesday, factored in not getting back from Stoke, where we had spent new year and concluded the run would have to be skipped. My scheduled run on Friday was abandoned because I couldn't actually get out of Florida because of the Bomb Cyclone in New York. Since I am writing this in Fort Lauderdale airport, I doubt my scheduled run on Saturday will happen either.

KM run this week: 20km (all last weekend)KM run in 2018: 0

While raising money for charity is not my motivation for participation, it is a big part of the London Marathon. Shelter have bribed me with a T-shirt and the promise of a post-race massage. It would be nice to at least cover the cost of the T-shirt and you can donate here should you feel so inclined.

I sometimes wonder how intrinsic the running aspect is to the app - the only bit that really depends upon you moving (the zombie chases) I have disabled because a) the zombies cut corners and b) I don't like the stress and c) I want to determine my own running pace and at that point it might as well be a podcast really.